Saturday, November 23, 2013

I'm always searching for healthy breakfast ideas that I can make ahead. Lately I've been tired of eating cereal. I found a recipe for Baked Honey Oatmeal with Raspberries and Pistachios on Munchin with Munchkin awhile ago. I loved the idea of making small servings. These turned out very good. They are pretty healthy except for the 2 tbsp of maple syrup. They are sweet so if you want something that isn't high in sugar you can reduce the amount. I also tossed in some chia seeds but if you don't have any it's fine to leave out. This recipe is quite versatile. You can change up the nuts, add some blueberries or chocolate chips and even use honey instead of maple syrup. They would even be great topped with some Greek yogurt. Bilal loved these and they were also great as a snack.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

What I love about this recipe is that it is super quick to whip up and makes a small batch of cupcakes. Which means I won't be eating a dozen cupcakes in a matter of a couple of days. When it comes to desserts I find that I have lost all self control. So small batches are good although this recipe can be easily doubled. I frosted them with the recipe from my Quick Chocolate Cake.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

I've been seeing lots of people posting and writing about gluten free cooking and baking. This is something totally new to me. I've never had to look into gluten free cooking but have been curious about it. People with celiac disease follow a gluten free diet. Canadian Celiac Associationdefines "celiac disease as an autoimmune disease where the surface of the small intestines that absorbs nutrients from food is damaged by a substance called gluten. As a result, the body has trouble absorbing nutrients from food including the protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for good health." When baking, it is the gluten in the flour that binds the ingredients and prevents crumbling. Gluten is found in all types of wheat. Oats usually have contact with gluten so people must look for gluten free oats. For those that are on a gluten free diet, they must read labels very carefully to ensure there is no gluten in the food.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Trying to stick with baking some breakfast goodies for the boys to help our mornings go smoother, I tried out these Whole Wheat Banana Muffins I saw on Joy of Baking. I made half the recipe which gave me 6 muffins. Since these are 100% whole wheat flour the banana flavour is more muted. To get the boys excited about them I sprinkled some with some chocolate chips. The first time I made these Hasan loved them. The second time I didn't mash the banana as well and he wasn't happy with mushy parts in his muffins. So next time I will be sure to thoroughly mash the bananas so he has no clue that it's in there.